2-year schools in Western Pa. tout affordability

Philip G. Pavely | Tribune-Review - CCAC student Jesse McElroy in the North Campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. McElroy, who opted for community college over a four-year college, will get her associate's degree in the spring debt-free.

Philip G. Pavely | Tribune-Review - CCAC student Jesse McElroy in the North Campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. McElroy, who opted for community college over a four-year college, will get her associate's degree in the spring debt-free.

Philip G. Pavely | Tribune-Review - CCAC student Jesse McElroy in the North Campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. McElroy, who opted for community college over a four-year college, will get her associate's degree in the spring debt-free.

Daily Photo Galleries

Allegheny Photo Galleries

Traveling by Jeep, boat and foot, Tribune-Review investigative reporter Carl Prine and photojournalist Justin Merriman covered nearly 2,000 miles over two months along the border with Mexico to report on coyotes — the human traffickers who bring illegal immigrants into the United States. Most are Americans working for money and/or drugs. This series reports how their operations have a major impact on life for residents and the environment along the border — and beyond.

Jesse McElroy balked at the notion of going to a community college in 2012 as her friends headed off to campus life at four-year colleges.

In May, McElroy, 20, of Shaler expects to graduate debt-free from Community College of Allegheny County with an associate's degree in business with honors.

“A lot of my instructors teach at Pitt and Penn State, and all of my credits transfer. Some of my friends are already $40,000 to $50,000 in debt after two years. I don't have to worry about that,” McElroy said. Scholarships and living at home helped her to avoid student loans.

Community colleges across Western Pennsylvania, stung by double-digit declines in enrollment over the past three years, are counting on stories such as hers to recruit college-bound high school students who worry about student loan debt.

Although enrollment slipped slightly at community colleges across the country, steep declines here — 17 to 22 percent since 2010 — moved the schools to step up recruitment.

Westmoreland County Community College, where full-time equivalent enrollment declined 18 percent, addressed tuition in a series of ads: “Worried about college debt? Do the math: private college, $45,000 per year; public college, $25,000 per year; WCCC, $3,420 per year.” The private and public college figures include average tuition, fees and room and board; the community college figure includes in-county tuition and fees for 30 credits.

“Our students say that cost is one of the main reasons they choose WCCC, and we wanted to illustrate the value proposition of WCCC compared to private and state colleges,” spokeswoman Anna Marie Palatella said.

Community college enrollment typically rises in weak economic times, when displaced workers seek skills or financially strapped families need a break on college costs.

Officials at CCAC expected enrollment to decline when the economy improved.

No one was ready when enrollment at CCAC declined by 8 percent in September, about four times what was projected. The decline shot a $5 million hole in the college's $112.5 million budget and forced CCAC to eliminate a number of under-enrolled class sections.

Michael Murphy, a consultant for the AmericanAssociation of Community Colleges, said it makes sense for community colleges to emphasize cost advantages.

It's a natural response to a marketplace in which tuition for four-year institutions outpaced cost-of-living increases and some schools have trumpeted their high tuition as a measure of prestige.

“Younger students need to be aware of where the value is. It's always intriguing to me that people are willing to pay more on a proposition that is not so much value-driven as it is driven by perception that, ‘If it costs more, it must be better,' ” Murphy said.

Ashley Hevsey, 20, of Butler never saw things that way.

Hevsey will graduate from Butler County Community College this spring with an associate degree in applied science. Several universities accepted her, but she opted for the community college when she saw its passing rate on the nursing licensing exam was higher than some of those universities and tuition was much lower.

“A lot of my friends said, ‘Why are you going there? That's just 13th grade.' But a degree is a degree,” Hevsey said. She plans to start working when she passes the licensing exam, aiming for this summer. She will enroll in an 18-month program at Slippery Rock University to complete a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

The value of an associate degree can't be underestimated for those who want to get a four-year degree, Murphy said.

In 2013, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that community college students who transferred to four-year programs with a two-year degree or certificate had a 72 percent graduation rate, compared to 56 percent for those lacking a complete credential upon transfer.

Many colleges and universities will accept 60 credits — the equivalent of two years of college work — if a student completed an associate degree at a community college.

That's the scenario at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, where community college transfers are up 16.5 percent from 2,875 in 2008 to 3,352 this year.

Students trying to transfer without a degree may find not all of their credits are accepted.

“That's why I never understand kids who just take classes to transfer, instead of taking classes for a degree,” McElroy said. “Nobody can take away your degree.”

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Total Promotional Solutions

A division of Trib Total Media is your one-stop-shop for all of your branded merchandise needs.

We specialize in providing quality affordable promotional products for every type of business including non-profits, schools, universities, sports teams and more. With 1000’s of products to choose from, our knowledgeable staff can help you find the perfect apparel item or product to suit your needs and budget.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.